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The death toll in the strong earthquake that struck Cebu Province Tuesday night has climbed to 69, and hundreds more are injured, with widespread destruction across many towns.

According to official reports from the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CPDRRMO), the fatalities were recorded as follows: 30 in Bogo City; 22 in San Remegio; 12 in Medellin; five in Tabogon; and one each in Sogod and Tabuelan towns.

The CPDRRMO has confirmed that the death toll may continue to rise, with more injured and missing individuals are still being accounted for.

Among the dead in San Remegio were three personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and one from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Region 7, who perished after the collapse of the San Remegio Sports Complex during the tremor.

The PCG identified its fallen personnel as Seaman Second Class Lawrence Palomo, Apprentice Seaman Jujay Mahusay, and Apprentice Seaman Ert Cart Dacunes. All three were rushed to Bogo General Hospital but were declared dead despite the efforts of attending physicians.

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan mourned the loss, saying, ‘We extend our sincere condolences to the families of our fallen personnel. Their dedication to the service and camaraderie with our fellow uniformed men and women will always be remembered. The PCG stands in full solidarity with their loved ones and will ensure that they receive the utmost support.’

The BFP, meanwhile, confirmed the death of Fire Officer 2 Allier Vincent Negro Catadman, who was also trapped when the sports complex collapsed.

In a statement, BFP Region 7 described him as a true public servant: ‘Your loved one was a true hero, selfless, valiant, and committed to serving the Filipino people until his last breath. His legacy of bravery and sacrifice will forever inspire the Bureau and the communities we serve.’

Police reports said the victims were competing in a basketball tournament for the town’s Mayor’s Cup, which had drawn crowds of hundreds of residents. One of the officiating committee members, Jude Destura, was also reported dead as a result of the earthquake.

According to police reports, a brief power outage further fueled panic among the crowd, leading to a stampede as people rushed to exit the premises. Emergency medical treatment was immediately sought for the victims, but unfortunately, they were soon pronounced dead.

Tragedy also struck in SM Cares Village, Barangay Polambato, Bogo City, where eight individuals died following the collapse of eight housing units.

DSWD Disaster Response Management Group Undersecretary Diana Rose M. Cajipe and DSWD-7 Regional Director Shalaine Marie S. Lucero personally visited affected families to extend assistance. Among those mourning is Lito Catarman, who lost his son, pregnant daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren in the tragedy.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured bereaved families of burial assistance, financial aid, and Family Food Packs. As directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the agency will provide P10,000 in cash aid to each family of the deceased and cover funeral expenses.

‘The DSWD Field Office 7 – Central Visayas is now accounting for the number of casualties and their locations. Our social workers are coordinating with the bereaved families to inform them of the Department’s assistance,’ said Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, DSWD spokesperson.

The Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo City was overwhelmed with casualties, as body bags lined up outside its compound. To assist bereaved families, a booth for the issuance of death certificates was set up near the hospital.

Among the fatalities was a mother and her 1-year-old daughter in Barangay Binabag, Bogo City, after a boulder rolled down and crushed the wall of their house.

Provincial Governor Pamela Baricuatro emphasized that saving lives remains the highest priority as search, rescue, and relief operations continue. As of 3:54 p.m. yesterday, at least 293 residents suffered various injuries and were rushed to hospitals for treatment.

BFP-7 Regional Director FCSUPT Fred Linazan Trajeras Jr. has since joined the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in coordinating multi-agency rescue and retrieval efforts across affected areas.

The PCG District Central Visayas has also deployed six highly trained Search and Rescue (SAR) dogs with handlers to Northern Cebu to help locate possible trapped survivors and support ongoing response operations.

At 5:07 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, the Philippines’ three most notable political icons inaugurated the new Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos and former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, 95 and in a wheel chair, cut the ceremonial ribbon at the lobby of the renovated PICC, Asia’s first and grandest international convention center in 1976.

With the vision of the inimitable Imelda and the design of National Artist Leandro Locsin, PICC was built in record time of 23 months by DM Consunji and AG and P for only P100 million. PICC in 1976 signaled to the world that the Philippines was ready for business.

This year, PICC’s renovation took only six months and under budget, thanks to First Lady Liza Marcos, says President Marcos Jr.

In 2025, a year before PICC’s 50th anniversary, PICC’s reopening again signals to the world it is ready for business, under the second Marcos president, BBM.

Coincidentally, Marcos Jr. has engineered the largest housecleaning ever undertaken in the Philippines by any president. BBM is the first whistleblower leader in recorded history. ‘It takes balls to do that,’ deadpans DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, today his chief housecleaner.

No president, prime minister, autocrat, despot or democrat has ever taken the initiative to tell his people that his house has been invaded by thieves (in cahoots with insiders) and that he needs help badly.

The P1-trillion flood control scam or flood-gate is the single biggest act of corruption in our history. It has no precedent – in amount, in number of participants, in the assembly-line execution of the thievery, in the syndicated symphony of stealing and the outrageous greed and impunity.

PICC was, for a number of decades, the star of Asia’s then nascent MICE business – Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. Take note: the Philippines had scored an unheard of 8.8 percent GDP growth in 1973 and repeated that same 8.8 percent in 1976 – the year PICC opened for business.

In the 1970s, says RTVM, president Ferdinand and first lady Imelda sought to place the nation on the world stage through culture, architecture and global dialogue. PICC was more than a building. It was the symbol of a nation’s ambition. It was the most modern convention center in Asia, ‘a milestone that declared to the world the Philippines is ready to lead.’

Not surprisingly, BBM was teary eyed and effusive at PICC’s reopening Tuesday.

‘As we look ahead, we recognize the PICC as a symbol of Filipino resilience and creativity,’ he enthused.

BBM thanked mom Imelda, ‘the guiding light, the inspiration, the – well, she’s not the architect but she was the one who put everything together.’

He thanked First Lady Liza, ‘who again has inherited [applause] the tradition of very quick construction projects that actually come in under budget. So, that is always something important to her Ilocano husband.’

When he and Liza toured the new PICC, BBM reminded her: ‘My mother doesn’t need a tour. She invented this.’

The President told his select inaugural guests: ‘As we open the newly renovated Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), we are revisiting a chapter of our nation’s history. We are gathered in a place where history was written, lives were celebrated, where the future will once again be shaped. Every brick, every beam, every hall of this building carries with it nearly five decades of stories.’

BBM said ‘within these halls, the world’s eyes turned to the Philippines as we hosted the Miss Universe pageant in 1994. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN gathered in 2017 to build the future of our region.’

‘But what makes the PICC truly special is not only the big moments that made the headlines. It is also the smaller, more personal moments – the ones that never made it to the front page but stayed forever in the hearts of the people. How many parents shed tears of joy as they watched their children receive their diplomas here? How many young professionals stood tall on this stage to swear their oaths, carrying with them both pride and responsibility?’

‘How many artists poured their hearts out in music, in dance, in painting and performances within these walls – only to find that the audience gave them something greater in return: appreciation, encouragement, love even?’

‘And how many couples have begun their journey together, as husbands and wives, while friends and family filled this place with laughter, and tears of joy? These are the memories that give life to PICC. These are the stories that turn a hall of concrete into a home of the Filipino spirit,’ related the President.

On its 50th in 2026, PICC hosts the ASEAN Summit.

Meanwhile, I texted Bangko Sentral Eli Remolona, chairman of the PICC board, to confirm with him the cost of the PICC renovation. No answer.

Was Gov Eli too busy wondering why corrupt senators and congressmen, DPWH engineers and contractors could withdraw billions in a week seamlessly, with gay abandon, from our lovely banking system while we, mortals, have to be interviewed by our bank branch manager on rare occasions we withdraw P500,000?

Has BSP been too lazy or too complicit in allowing the P1-trillion flood-gate, without the Anti-Money Laundering Council raising a whimper?

It would take a whole day for a bank branch to handle a withdrawal of P25 million. So if you withdraw P500 million, how many days would a bank branch take to count that money?

BSP is AMLC chair. Eli worked for 14 years in New York and also taught there. New York is the hotbed of the mafia for whom the $10,000-threshold or limit for moving cash was designed by anti-money launderers.

The Global Youth Summit (GYS) 2025 has marked a historic milestone, gathering over 40,000 young leaders, innovators and advocates nationwide through simultaneous events across SM malls.

Organized by SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, in partnership with the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Philippines, the summit highlighted the strength of the Filipino youth as a nationwide movement for change.

From Luzon to Mindanao, students, youth groups and advocates came together for thought-provoking discussions, keynote sessions and collaborative activities that amplified the collective voice of the Filipino youth.

The summit tackled pressing themes of empowerment, sustainability, innovation and leadership, reflecting the youth’s role in shaping the country’s future.

‘The youth are not just leaders of tomorrow-they are a driving force for change today. The Global Youth Summit proves what is possible when we empower young people nationwide,’ said Royston Cabunag, SM Cares program director for children and youth.

Leonard Faustino, executive director of Global Peace Foundation Philippines, added: ‘Collaboration across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao has created one of the largest youth platforms in the country. This summit is proof that when given space and support, our youth can lead transformative change.’

While the SM Mall of Asia Arena leg drew thousands of participants and nationwide recognition, the heart of GYS 2025 was its collective nationwide reach-with simultaneous summits held across 17 SM malls.

Each of the 17 provincial summit locations was deliberately anchored on one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that every global goal receives equal importance within a holistic platform that champions innovative and actionable solutions for communities nationwide. In line with this, the provincial legs gave young people in local communities the chance to share solutions and contribute to projects aligned with the respective SDGs.

By empowering more than 40,000 Filipino youth across regions, SM Cares and its partners reaffirm their commitment to inclusivity, accessibility and meaningful youth participation on a national scale.

The Global Youth Summit 2025 stands as one of the largest youth movements in the Philippines, uniting voices that will shape the country’s future.

Mapua delivered a fitting tribute to the golden anniversary of the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ via a 90-89 double-overtime cliffhanger over Lyceum of the Philippines University yesterday at the start of the 101st NCAA basketball season at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It was a victory that set in motion the Cardinals’ title defense, on the very same day and venue where one of the best, if not the best, sporting moments in history – the heavyweight world title fight between greats Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier – was staged exactly 50 years ago.

JC Recto paced his team with 16 points on top of nine rebounds, three assists and a game-high five steals while Marc Cuenco scattered 14 points including one FT with 12 seconds remaining that eventually turned out the dagger.

It launched Mapua’s campaign for back-to-back crowns – a year after ending a long championship wait that spanned 33 years.

Yam Concepcion likewise came through with a double-double effort of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Clint Escamis, the 2023 MVP who decided to skip turning pro to suit up one final time for his alma mater, had an opening-day mishap where he missed all his five three-point attempts and finished with only eight points after fouling out late in regulation.

Members of the promising P-pop boy group AJAA wear their hearts on their sleeves with the release of their latest single, ‘Ako Na,’ which topped on iTunes Philippines. It is now available on all streaming platforms.

The song marks their first single under ABS-CBN’s record label StarPop. Its catchy and upbeat melodies blend with hopeful lyrics that paint a picture of being down bad for love and unafraid to express vulnerability and desire to be chosen by the one they long for.

VXON member Franz Chua co-wrote and produced ‘Ako Na’ with Jhon Carl Maniacop and Theo Martel.

AJAA consists of members Ash, JC, Axl, and Alex who made their debut in 2023. The group dubbed as ‘the new generation of P-pop’ released their first extended play (EP) ‘4 Ü,’ which has amassed nearly three million streams on Spotify. It features the tracks ‘Hany,’ ‘Best Day Ever,’ ‘Cuppy Cake,’ and ‘Torpe.’

In 2024, they released ‘BES I LUV U,’ which was featured in Spotify’s P-pop On The Rise playlist. Early this year, they launched the dance-pop single ‘Dedma,’ which has earned over 300,000 streams on Spotify.

One Filipina continues to inspire a nation in distress. Alex Eala is winning more than losing in the WTA tour. Although she seems to have shifted focus to lower-tier events, the competition is not weak either. Not necessarily top 50, but good enough to test her game and consistency.

So far she has asserted her place with strong presence. Thrilling, she flirts with defeat and comes from behind to win in razor sharp margin. Avoid calling this resilience though, the word so used and abused by the corrupt and the plunderers to justify their theft and robbery of what should have minimized poverty among the suffering and the dying.

But nature has its mysterious way to uncover the truth buried in impunity among the sinners and apathy among the aggrieved. Aside from the big mouth of a couple with bigger loot, nature haunted and exposed the ghost of flood control. Then the other night a powerful tremor awakened a people in slumber to the reality of sub-standard infrastructure. Nature is doing its part, but how many more lives should be sacrificed to jail the real culprit and the complicit. Nature nurtures, vultures devour.

Then there is Jessica Sanchez, the Filipino-American who recognizes her half lineage and embraces the culture she was not raised in. Her superb vocal prowess dazzled America in a diverse talent competition to vindicate her loss in a singing competition when America picked the American instead of the Idol.

Years later she picked the perfect song to prick American soul. With life inside, she sang live and brought the world to life with a song about its end. Such moving performance characteristic of Filipino singers, the most feared vocalists in the world but some of them are muted in dissent against greed and corruption.

Alexandra and Jessica, two women who inspire a nation about to expire. Both sweet but fierce when it matters. Alex grunts, Jessica growls. And the nepo rabies flaunt and seduce young girls to vanity and luxury paid for by a country of impunity and stupidity, exactly why it never gets angry, or sustain anger if any, its short people have the shortest memory.

Last Monday, Sept, 29, I was one of four speakers in the Opening Plenary of the ’12th Monitoring and Evaluation Network Forum’ organized by the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) held at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria. The previous name was NEDA, renamed and restructured under RA 12145 or the ‘Economy, Planning and Development Act of 2025.’

DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan gave the opening remarks and he emphasized the important role of monitoring and evaluation (M and E) to see whether government projects, programs and commitments are met or not, whether resources are used wisely or not, whether the people really benefited from those programs or not.

My co-speakers in the opening plenary panel with the theme, ‘To retain, redesign or retrench?’ were DEPDev Undersecretary Joseph Capuno, DBM director Mary Joy de Leon and ADB principal economist Ashish Narain. I represented the perspective of civil society as the president of Minimal Government Thinkers advocating less government, less taxes. Moderator was UP School of Economics (UPSE) Prof. Karl Jandoc. Big crowd in the grand ballroom, participants mostly from different government agencies, national and regional offices.

After asking the three co-speakers, Karl asked my view as an advocate of minimal government about DEPDev’s mandate to use evaluation results. I replied that DEPDev as the main M and E agency of the Executive branch (Section 4 of RA 12145) should remind all other agencies of two principles.

One, the Principle of Subsidiarity – functions that can be done by local governments should not be assigned to national government, and functions that can be done by civil society or voluntary organizations and individuals themselves should not be assigned to government, national or local.

Two, reason for existence or ‘raison d’etre’ of government – to protect the people’s right to life, right to private property and right to liberty. This is actually contained in the 1987 Constitution, ‘Section 5. The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property.’

I emphasized those two principles because modern governments now, Philippines and almost all other countries around the world have expanded to many areas and sectors that were not ‘rights’ and entitlements before. Like free education up to universities, free health care for certain sectors including non-communicable diseases, free monthly cash and so on.

These functions are formerly personal and parental responsibility and not government responsibility. Now it is becoming the reverse, and that is how governments have expanded, the bureaucracies, regulations and prohibitions have expanded. The annual disbursements, the budget deficit, borrowings, taxes and regulatory fees have expanded. And the wastes, inefficiencies and corruption have expanded.

High annual budget deficit means high annual borrowings and hence, rising public debt stock. Our interest payment of our public debt in 2024 was P763 billion or an average of P2.1 billion a day. For 2025, interest payments targeted by the DBCC early this year amount to P848 billion or average of P2.3 billion a day. But as of January-August 2025, it was already P584 billion or average of P2.8 billion a day. At this rate we will pay up to P1 trillion for interest payment alone, principal amortization not included yet. We are almost drowning not just with flood but with costly debt.

Another question by Karl to me was what institutional and capacity gaps hinder effective use of M and E evidence at national and local levels. I replied that the institutional gap is the prevalence of the philosophy of anti-inequality or forced equality in social outcome, instead of equality before the law. We lack the rule of law, the law applies equally to unequal people, no one is exempted and no one can grant an exemption. Like the law against stealing, if we exempt the very poor from punishment, many people will stop working and declare themselves as poor and steal left and right knowing they will not go to jail.

For now, I think DEPDev should consider telling these agencies as part of its M and E function of the Executive branch.

One, the State Universities and Colleges – stop expanding campuses. There are 113 SUCs and 126 local univs and colleges like University of Makati, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Cebu Technical University has 24 campuses, Palawan State University has 19, Cavite Batangas, Southern Luzon (Quezon) State Universities have 11 each.

Two, the Department of Health – privatize two of their four hospitals in Manila City, get the money and put up a DOH hospital in regions where there is none. Manila City has seven city-owned hospitals, has UP-PGH (P7 billion a year from UP budget), and four DOH hospitals. Does it mean residents of Manila are the healthiest people in the country? Not exactly.

Three, the Department of Energy – when the share of (solar + wind)/total power generation reaches 10 percent, even 15 percent, stop contracting new solar and wind via Green Energy Auction to avoid rising inflation. Threshold seems to be 20 percent, beyond that inflation rate is higher than a decade ago, the case of many European countries.

Four, the military and uniformed personnel (MUP) agencies – AFP, PNP, PCG, BFP, BJMP, etc. They should pay for their own pension someday when they retire, and not take it from taxpayers. The MUP pension in the budget is P111 billion in 2024, P132 billion in 2025 and P133 billion in 2026.

I doubt that Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman are happy finding more revenues yearly to cover more budget requests by many agencies and keeping the deficit as low as possible.

The reason for the existence of the government is to protect the people’s right to life, right to private property, right to liberty. Not to burden the people with endless taxes and corrupt their values with endless subsidies and freebies.

The country’s external financial footprint expanded further in the second quarter, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reporting that stronger inflows of foreign capital drove the Philippines’ net international investment position (IIP) deeper into deficit.

The IIP, which tracks the value of foreign financial assets and liabilities at a given point in time, showed the Philippines holding a net external liability of $68.3 billion as of end-June. This was up by 44.1 percent from $47.4 billion a year earlier and 9.8 percent higher than the $62.2 billion posted in March.

‘The increase was driven by inward foreign investments outpacing the country’s own investments abroad,’ the BSP said in a statement.

As of June, foreign investments in Philippine assets climbed by 2.7 percent quarter-on-quarter to $325.2 billion, while Philippine residents’ investments in overseas assets grew at a slower pace of 0.9 percent to $256.9 billion.

According to the BSP, the IIP is an important gauge of the economy’s financial ties with the rest of the world, serving as a measure of both external vulnerability and resilience.

By sector, general government borrowings accounted for $88.4 billion or 27.2 percent of total foreign investments in Philippine assets, while banks held $42.5 billion (13.1 percent).

Other sectors, including corporations and households, cornered the largest share at $190.4 billion (58.6 percent). The BSP itself carried $3.9 billion, or 1.2 percent.

Meanwhile, Philippine investments abroad were largely driven by the central bank, which held $111.2 billion or 43.3 percent of total foreign assets. This was a 0.2-percent decrease from the end-March level of $111.4 billion.

‘The moderation was driven by a 0.6 percent decline in reserve assets, which constitute the majority of the BSP’s external financial holdings,’ the BSP said.

The slight decrease in reserve assets was due to the government’s drawdowns on its deposits with the BSP to service external debt obligations and central bank’s net foreign exchange operations.

Other sectors followed with $105.5 billion (41.1 percent), while banks accounted for $40.2 billion (15.7 percent).